The Gaza Strip experienced another sleepless night on Friday, but this time it was not because of heavy Israeli bombing, but the besieged coastal territory was attacked in the past 11 days.

Instead, thousands of people flocked to the streets to celebrate Ceasefire With the consent of Israeli and Palestinian armed groups, they chanted their support for the resistance movement.

A week after the holiday, Eid al-Fitr prayers sounded in the mosque. The sweets were delivered due to the celebration, but they were delayed due to death and destruction. People also took the opportunity to visit people whose relatives were killed.

Ceasefire celebrations extended to several cities in the occupied Palestinian neighbourhoods of the Occupied West Bank and East Jerusalem. Many cities praised armed groups and Palestinians in the Gaza Strip for their steadfastness.

According to the Gaza Ministry of Health, 243 Palestinians were killed in Israel’s latest offensive, including 66 children and 39 women. At least 1,910 people were injured. More than 90,000 Palestinians have been displaced, and many infrastructure and many civilian buildings in Gaza have been severely damaged or completely razed to the ground.

In Israel, 12 people were killed, including 3 foreign workers.

The ceasefire facilitated by the mediator Egypt has enabled “mutual and unconditional” hostilities between the Israeli army and Palestinian armed groups to begin at 2 a.m. Friday (23:00 GMT on Thursday).

The official did not give any conditions, and the Israeli Security Cabinet said it had voted unanimously in favor of a “mutual assistance and unconditional” truce in Gaza.

However, Hamas spokesman Abdul Latif Kanu told Al Jazeera that armed groups imposed their own conditions.

He said this includes ending the forced deportation of Palestinian families in the Sheikh Jarrah area of ??East Jerusalem, as well as Israeli security forces’ incursions into the Al-Aqsa Mosque.

al-Qanou said: “Israel has withdrawn in the face of armed resistance and has not achieved its declared offensive goals.”

Currently, the ceasefire is still being held, although Israeli forces once again raided the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound on Friday, firing rubber-coated steel bullets and sound grenades.

al-Qanou said: “Israel is now being tested, and resistance groups in Gaza are observing how it will react.”

“This ceasefire is only temporary. It is an opportunity to gain greater strength to resist further Israeli aggression.”

“Embarrassing ceasefire”

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu claimed that the attack caused Hamas an “unimaginable blow” and even said it “changed the equation” and defeated Hamas for many years.

Netanyahu said that the Israeli military destroyed Hamas’ tunnel network in Gaza and many rocket factories and warehouses. He claimed that more than 200 Palestinian fighters were killed, including 25 senior figures.

However, many Israeli politicians slammed the ceasefire as a humiliation to Hamas.

New Hope Party leader Gideon Sar called the ceasefire “embarrassing” and lamented that “Even with the best intelligence and air force in the world, Netanyahu managed to obtain an “unconditional ceasefire” from Hamas. .

Itamar Ben Gvir, a far-right member of the Knesset, said: “The embarrassing ceasefire is a serious submission to terror and Hamas’s imposing means.”

Avigdor Lieberman called the ceasefire “another failure of Netanyahu.” After two days of fierce fighting in Gaza, Israel agreed to reach an agreement with Egypt and resigned as defense minister in 2018.

Speech by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at the briefing to the Israeli ambassador on Wednesday, May 19, 2021, at the Al-Hakiria military base in Tel Aviv, Israel [Sebastian Scheiner/AP Photo]

“Unprecedented Palestinian support”

Adnan Abu Amer, a Palestinian political analyst based in the Gaza Strip, said that the general consensus among Palestinians is that Hamas has won this round of battle both military and politically.

He told Al Jazeera: “Despite the 11-day offensive that did not cause substantial damage to Israel, Hamas still dealt a heavy blow to the image of Israel around the world-this time more than the previous war in 2014. .”.

“This is due to the escalation of facts, not from the Gaza Strip and the blockade, but from the collective issues supported by Islam, Arab and most of the international community. This is a top priority for the Palestinian cause, Jerusalem.”

During these 11 days, Hamas and other Palestinian groups in Gaza fired thousands of rockets at Israel. Long-range missiles launched by armed groups in Gaza have caused the closure of two major airports.

Palestinian believers gathered in front of the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound in Jerusalem during a raid by Israeli forces on Friday [Ahmad Gharabli/AFP]

At the same time, Abu Amer said that the language used by the Palestinian Authority (such as insisting on a two-state solution) has been widely accepted because it is out of touch with the situation on the Palestinian streets.

“[This rhetoric] Undermine any increase in Palestinian support for Hamas after each attack,” Abu Amer said.

“This time, we saw unprecedented support from Palestine [for the resistance] “He said. He reiterated that Israel’s policy in Gaza is also an extension of its policy towards Jerusalem, the West Bank and the Palestinians in the 1948 territories.”

Abu Amer said: “Before the candlelight vigil for the Palestinians in these territories, they were in solidarity with Gaza, but this time, they were clearly part of the resistance against Israel.”

Thousands of Palestinians went on strike in all territories on Monday. The Ministry of Health said that during several days of protests against Israeli troops, at least 28 Palestinians were killed in the occupied West Bank and thousands more were injured.

For now, no matter how unstable Abu Amer’s conclusions are, Hamas and Israel clearly hope to reach a ceasefire agreement. After Israel’s harsh rebuke, the Gaza Strip needs a respite.

For the Palestinians in Gaza, the ceasefire is only a respite. It expressed the hope that the continuous daily struggle caused by the severe blockade of the coastal enclaves will end sooner or later.

“As with any movement that exposes the crimes of Zionism and challenges the narrative supported by Europe and the United States, global solidarity is sweet, but I think the most important victory is that it reduces the likelihood of Israel sitting on our chests. For a long time,” Mahmoud Qudaih, a Palestinian social media user from Khan Younes Say.

“We buried the martyrs, we held our breath, because the war of liberation is still going on and will not stop.”